Swimming pool grab rail with guard panel



Feb. 10, 1970 B. BELLINSON ET AL 3,494,596

SWIMMING POOL GRAB RAIL WITH GUARD PANEL Filed Oct. 29, 1968 C ,5 as 17 /a INVENTORS .BEPAMBD BELL l/vsav EIVPY P. You/vs United States Patent M 3,494,596 SWIMMING POOL GRAB RAIL WITH GUARD PANEL Bernard Bellinson, Sherman Oaks, and Henry R. Young, Arleta, Calif., assignors to Marine Swimming Pool Equipment Co., North Hollywood, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Oct. 29, 1968, Ser. No. 771,528 Int. Cl. E04h 17/16; A63b /10 US. Cl. 25624 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A swimming pool grab rail of bent metal tubing or equivalent, in loop form (either closed or open) framing a light-weight ornamental guard panel composed of a hollow shell of shaped thin sheet plastic sections mating with one another and enclosing a core of plastic foam, the panel being secured in the grab rail by fasteners bridging between the guard panel rim and members of the grab rail. At least one of the shell sections are either embossed or recessed to receive inlaid decorating tiles adhesively secured thereto.

THE PRIOR ART Grab rails of bent metal tubing, anchored in a swimming pool deck adjacent or overhanging the rim of the pool, or mounted along the sides of a diving board, to provide handholds for a swimmer or diver, have been in common use for many years.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention combines with such a grab rail, a guard panel supported and framed by the grab rail, disposed in the plane thereof, and functioning both to protect a swimmer or diver from slipping sidewise into the grab rail and to provide an ornamental decoration for the pool. It is particularly characterized by a lightweight inexpensive construction such as may be attained by use of the plastic shell and core structure outlined above, and by the pleasing appearance as well as dependability and durability of the mounting fasteners which extend into the tubular members of the grab rail and into the marginal portions of the guard panel, bridging narrowgaps between the grab rail members and the panel margin.

The invention aims to provide a grab-rail and guard panel assembly characterized by:

(a) Light weight, resulting in ease of handling and installation and minimum shipping cost;

(b) Highly decorative and attractive;

(c) Freedom from deterioration;

((1) Strength and durability, retaining its functional utility, appearance and decorative character indefinitely.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a grab-rail and guard panel unit embodying our invention, the unit being mounted in a deck shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the unit, associated with a diving board;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of another modified form of the unit, mounted at the rim of a pool, over a flight of steps;

FIG. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a corner of the guard panel.

DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawing in detail, and particularly to FIG. 1, I have shown therein, as an example of one form in which the invention can be embodied, a grab rail A of open loop form anchored in a deck B and framing a guard panel C which is secured thereto by bridging fasteners D.

Guard rail A is of bent tubing (e.g. of metal) comprising legs 10 and 11 having spaced lower ends anchored in the deck B, and a hand-hold bar 12 extending between their upper ends. Legs 10, 11 are preferably inclined from the vertical in parallel relation.

Guard panel C (FIG. 4) comprises a pair of shell sections 15, 16 of shallow pan form having respective marginal flanges 17, 18 fitted one within the other in mating relation. The shell sections are of formed thin plastic material such as Cycolac or equivalent. Alternatively, injection-molded thin shell sections can be utilized. The section 16 is embossed to provide a marginal bead comprising straight top and bottom portions 21 and inclined end portions 22 having stepped or saw-toothed inner margins 23. The marginal bead frames a shallow depression 24 into which a number of thin decorative tiles, 25, 26 of contrasting light and dark colors are inlaid. The tiles are preferably of plastic material, cemented into depression 24 in a flush relation to marginal bead 21, 22. Tiles 25, 26 are fitted into the steps of inner side margins 23. To support the thin side walls of shell sections 15, 16 against inward yielding under pressures such as may be occasioned by contact of a swimmers or divers body against the guard panel, the shallow hollow interior of the shell is filled with a core 27 in the; form of a flat, rigid slab of plastic foam eg. of foamed polystyrene plastic material, or foam-filled polyurethane.

Fasteners D each comprise a bolt 30 projecting through opposed apertures in a leg 10 or 11, through a spacer sleeve 31, through registering apertures in flanges 17, 18, and threaded into a nut 32 formed of a block of plastic material such as relatively hard (not highly plasticized) polyvinyl chloride or equivalent material adapted to resist thread-stripping when bolt 30 is drawn tight and yet to maintain a firm compressive grip upon the bolt, effective over long periods of use to resist loosening of the bolt under the effect of vibrations such as those transmitted from an associated diving or jump board. No lockwashers are required or used. Each nut 32 is held in position by the edges of core 27 defining a notch 33 into which the nut is fitted with] its outer side substantially flush with the adjoining margin of the core. The notches 33 are in substantially centered relation to the apertures in shell flanges 17, 18, such that the bolts 30 will be guided into the threaded bores of the nuts when projected through the flanges 17, 18. Thus by first fabricating a guard panel (by assembling the core 27 and nuts 32 into shell section 15 and then fitting the shell section 16 over section 15) then fitting the panel into the space framed by the grab-rail and then registering the apertures in the opposed grab rail members wtih the apertures in flanges 17, 18, the bolts can be inserted and threaded home in a blind fastening operation.

The assembly can be held together by the locking action of bolts 30 in the apertures of flanges 17 and 18, and without the use of an adhesive to cement the shell sections of panel C together. Alternatively, the overlapping flanges 17, 18 can be cemented together.

The invention can be utilized in several different embodiments as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 respectively. In FIG. 1, the grab rail is in the form of an open-bottom loop with fore and aft legs directly anchored in the concrete deck B by means of their lower ends which are embedded in the deck. As shown, the opposed parallel members of the grab rail to which the periphery of the guard panel are secured, are the leg members and 11. Normally, two of the guard rail assemblies, in laterallyspaced paired relation, are employed in an installation.

FIG. 2 illustrates how the invention can be embodied in a diving board assembly in which a pair of the grab rails A1 are mounted in flanking relation to the rearward portion of a diving board 13, mounted on a pedestal F as disclosed in our currently-filed companion application Ser. No. 762,591 filed Sept. 25, 1968. The guard rail in the instance is in the for-m of a closed loop of substantially parallelogram configuration, with fore and aft side arms 110 and 111 joined at the top by a bridging handrail 112 and joined at their lower ends by a bridging member 35 which is mounted in a connecting clamp 36 carried by a respective end of a fulcrum bar 37 anchored to the upper end of pedestal F. Panels C are mounted in grab rails A1 in the same manner as in FIG. 1, and may be of the same construction as in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 3 illustrates a grab-rail A2, likewise of closed-loop form but somewhat different from grab-rail A1, having the ends of the loop secured into a cast-metal fitting 40 which has a shank projecting downwardly into the deck B and anchored therein, the fitting being located at the lower rear corner of the loop and the grab-rail porjecting forwardly therefrom, over the pool rim 13 and above a ladder 41 formed in the wall of the pool, so that a pair of the grab-rails can be grasped by a swimmer emerging from the poo FIG. 3 also illustrates how thepanel C2 can extend vertically between the upper and lower members 212 and 221 of the grab-rail loop, which are the opposed, substantially parallel grab-rail members to which the panel C2 is secured by fasteners D in a construction analogous to those of FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the fastener mountings being substantially the same as in FIGS. 4, 5. Rearward and forward legs 210 and 211 join the members 212 and 221 to form the closed loop.

We claim:

1. A swimming pool grab-rail and guard-panel assembly comprising, in combination:

a grab-rail of loop form comprising a pair of opposed,

generally parallel members and atleast one additional member bridging between and joining said opposed members;

means for anchoring the lower side of said grab rail to a pool deck; I

the upper member of said grab-rail being positioned to function as a hand-hold;

a lightweight guard panel of synthetic resin plastic material framed by and disposed substantially in the plane of said grab-rail; v

and fasteners bridging between the periphery of said guard panel and said opposed grab-rail memberand securely mounting the guard panel to said grab-rail;

said guard panel comprising a thin-walled, shallow, generally flat hollow shell having a peripheral rim attached to said fasteners;

said shell-comprising a pair of opposed sections of shallow pan form having respective marginal flanges coupled, one within the other to define said peripheral rim; a

said fasteners extending through said opposed grabrail members and through the overlapping flanges of said panel sections;

said panel including a core consisting of a rigid slab of plastic foam within said shell and supporting the walls thereof;

said fasteners comprising bolts piercing said opposed rail members and said coupled flanges;

and nuts confined between said rim and the periphery of said core and threaded onto the ends of said bolts.

2. The assembly defined in claim 1, wherein said nuts consist of blocks of plastic material inset into notches in the periphery of said core.

3. The assembly defined in claim 1, wherein said grabrail is in the form of an inverted U-shaped open loop, said opposed members being legs extending downwardly from said additional member and having lower ends adapted to be embedded in a concrete deck.

4. The assembly defined in claim 1, wherein there are two of said grab-rails each in the form of a generally polygonal closed loop, said opposed members being arms extending generally vertically between said additional member consisting of a hand rail at the top of said loop;

and a bridging member joining the lower ends of said arms;

said anchoring means comprising a transverse fulcrum bar for a diving board, and clamps attaching the pair of said bridging members to respective ends of said fulcrum.

'5. The assembly defined in claim 1, wherein said grab rail is in the form of a'generally parallelogram-shaped closed loop having a top member functioning as a handrail, forward and rearward arms projecting diagonally downwardly and rearwardly from respective ends of said handrail, and a bridgingmember integral with an extending rearwardly from the lowerend, of the forward arm and joined to the lower end of the rear arm by a fitting having a shank for emb'edment in a concrete deck, the upper forward corner ofsaid loop being adapted to overhang the rim of a swimming pool.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 638,233 12/ 1899 1 Gravett 25624 X 2,873,094 2/1959 Blum 256-31 2,974,746 3/1961 Baker.

3,007,539 11/ 1961 Brewer et al 25624 X 3,094,198 6/1963 Haskine 52-619 3,352,541 11/ 1967 Thom 25621 3,355,848 12/1967 Ulery 52582 X 3,362,119 1/1968 Murphy 52-309 3,390,740 7/1968- Brandel et a1 18293 X DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner US. 01. X.R. 2515-59; 272.46 r 

